persons are when they fly round them. Rooks render an 
essential service by discovering and devouring the grubs of the 
M. vulgaris , which remain in that state four years, sometimes 
doing incredible mischief to grass land. Poultry, pigs, and cats 
will eat these beetles, which have sometimes been so numerous 
as to defoliate the trees of extensive districts, especially the 
Oak, Beech, Apple, Fir, Elm, Sycamore, Lime, and Willow. 
The following are British insects, and may be thus divided. 
# Antennae 10-jointed, club of the female composed of 
6 plates. Abdomen acuminated. 
] . M. vulgaris Fab, — Melolontha Linn, F. S, 136. 392. — Don. 
8. 264. 2. 
Black, antennae testaceous, clypeus castaneous, head 
and thorax aeneous, hairy and thickly punctured. 
Elytra ferruginous, rugosely punctured, with 4 ele- 
vated lines on each, the interstices clothed with whitish 
hairs, sides of the abdomen ornamented with a 
white triangular spot on each segment ; the apex and 
legs ferruginous. 
Found from the middle of May to July, everywhere. 
Antennae of female, with the club composed of 5 
plates. Abdomen not acuminated. 
2. M. Fullo Linn. — Curt . Brit. Ent. jpl. 406. male. 
Castaneous, head and thorax black, coarsely and 
irregularly punctured and sprinkled with yellowish 
scales, the former with a broad line of whitish scales 
down each side by the eyes ; the latter with a stripe 
of the same down the middle, and a less regular one 
on each side: scutellum densely clothed with ochreous 
scales : elytra rugose with punctures, and variegated 
with numerous spots and markings formed of whitish 
scales : beneath hairy, the abdo len pubescent. 
The line in the plate shows the usual length of the males ; 
the females are larger. 
This noble insect is very rare in England; it once occurred 
at Sandwich in some abundance, a male was taken in July at 
Deal, and Mr. Le Plastrier captured one at Dover; Mr. Bracy 
Clark informed me that the late Mr. Francillon said that they 
issue from the sand, mount into the air and disappear. The 
larva feeds on the roots of the plant figured. 
Amphimalla Lat. — Antennae alike in both sexes, 
9-jointed, 3 terminal joints forming the club : 
anterior tibiae not denticulated externally. 
3. M. solstitialis Linn. F. S. 393. — Oliv. 1. No. 5. pi. 2 .f. 8. 
Ferruginous, shining; head and thorax punctured, 
clothed with long soft hair, the eyes and base of the 
head black: elytra ochreous, sparingly punctured and 
producing a few long hairs, with 3 elevated lines on 
each. Very common everywhere in June and July. 
The Plant is Polygonum Fagopyrum (Buck-wheat). 
